U.S. FAST Channel Count Nears 2,000

The number of unique FAST channel brands in the U.S. hit 1,943 as of this month, a 13.1 percent year-on-year increase, according to a new report, State of FAST.

FAST expert Gavin Bridge, “The FASTMaster,” who penned the report, noted: “The domestic FAST space is definitely maturing. As this report will show, the growth in available channels has begun to slow as the market approaches 2,000 unique channels across tracked services, but it still continues to grow month-to-month. I’m proud to be able to present this report, and I hope it proves to be interesting and useful to the industry and its decision-makers.”

The number of unique FAST channels in the U.S. has actually contracted slightly, the data found, slipping from 1,964 in April. General entertainment accounts for more than half of the available services, at 1,092, a 13.3 percent gain, with 139 channels for reality fare, 116 for drama and 100 for documentary. The list of most-distributed channels includes Court TV, Forensic Files, Game Show Central, Heartland, LOL! Network and Unsolved Mysteries.

The number of news channels has risen by 21.3 percent since last year to reach 359. The FAST channel universe also includes 236 movie channels, 117 music channels and 128 sports services.

The report also found that Warner Bros. Discovery, a fairly recent entrant in FAST, is now the largest general entertainment channel distributor with 46 services. The report also highlights that volume is growing faster than total channels, suggesting that services are adding fewer new first-time channels as the market matures.